Area of Study Guidelines: Science, Mathematics, and Technology for Students Matriculating Before Jan. 1, 2009 Policy

Area of Study Guidelines: Science, Mathematics, and Technology for Students Matriculating Before Jan. 1, 2009 Policy

Sponsor:

Academic Affairs

Contact:

Vice Provost

Category:

Academic and Student Affairs

Number:

300.124

Effective Date:

01/01/1000

Implementation History:

02/01/1993

Keywords:

Area of study guidelines; Science, Mathematics, and Technology

Background Information:

Purpose

To provide context for the area of study guidelines for area of study Science, Mathematics, and Technology.

Definitions

Area of Study Guidelines: This set of guidelines helps students plan their degree plans by spelling out what the academic world and many employers understand a particular concentration to mean. The guidelines are found in many academic publications.

Disciplinary — A program of study guided by the existing framework of a discipline.

Interdisciplinary — The simultaneous and interrelated study of two or more disciplines.

Problem Oriented — A program of study organized around a problem.

Professional/Vocational — A study which focuses on acquiring knowledge and skills needed for specific career performance and applications. It also entails inquiry into the conceptual foundations of the profession, the role of the professional in that career, and the relations between the profession and society at large.

Thematic — A program of study focusing on a particular theme or set of ideas.

Statements

Degree programs with a concentration in Science, Mathematics and Technology should include:

an understanding of the definition and scope of a field or area, including its fundamental laws and concepts.

basic competencies needed to work in Science, Mathematics and Technology, such as

working knowledge of scientific methodology including laboratory techniques and data interpretation,

problem-solving skills, including definition, analysis, research design, evaluation and testing,

as well as knowledge of appropriate experimental and applications methodologies;

an increasingly critical and sophisticated understanding of the theoretical and conceptual models of the field; and

an awareness of the field or area as an ongoing area of inquiry, including knowledge of recent developments.

Since knowledge in Science, Mathematics and Technology is rapidly and continually evolving, students in this area should develop skills for acquiring knowledge independently, in order to avoid scientific and technological obsolescence. Skill in pursuing knowledge independently involves:

knowledge of the inter-relationships and domains of various fields in Science, Mathematics and Technology related to the concentration;

awareness of the range and limits of one’s own skills and knowledge; and

development of a critical perspective which allows one to compare and evaluate theories, models and experimental work in new areas of study.

Finally, the student’s degree studies should provide an awareness of the wider context in which science and technology operate. This includes such elementsas:

understanding the relationships between science and its applications;

understanding the relationships between science and technology and society; and

understanding the potential limitations of science and technology.

It is not necessary that everything in the previously listed areas of knowledge, skills and competencies be included explicitly in student degreeprograms as specific study topics. Students should, however, address the way in which their proposed SMT program responds to these guidelines; this couldcertainly be included within the description and discussion contained in the degree program rationale.

Additional specific guidelines have been developed for concentrations in the following areas:

biology

chemistry

computer science

information systems

mathematics

physics

technology

Concentrations in Science, Mathematics and Technology (SMT) may include work in the natural sciences (physics, chemistry and biology), mathematics,computer science and a range of technological, applied science and health-related fields. Organizing frameworks may be disciplinary, interdisciplinary, thematic, problem oriented or professional/vocational.